Shohei Ohtani could rob Jacob Misiorowski of All-Star Game honor for worst reason possible

Expectations were certainly high for the Milwaukee Brewers' flame-throwing ace Jacob Misiorowski heading into the 2026 season, after Miz capped his 2025 season with a dominant playoff performance. However, Misiorowski has crushed those lofty expectations and then some during the first three months of the 2026 season.

As the season enters its mathematical second-half, Misiorowski leads all qualified major league starters, not just those in the National League, in ERA (1.45), strikeouts (146), WHIP (0.77), and batting average (.144). He also has a Maddux -- a complete-game shutout with less than 100 pitches -- on his resume this season. All that to say, Jacob Misiorowski is once again going to be an All-Star in 2026, which will be his second of what is hopefully many appearances in the Midsummer Classic throughout his career.

But Misiorowski's dominant first-half hasn't just ensured him a spot in the 2026 All-Star Game; it has him leading the race to start the star-studded showcase for the National League. With the stats listed above serving as proof, Miz has been undoubtedly better than any starting pitcher in the NL, and should absolutely be given the ball to open the Midsummer Classic if he elects to pitch in the All-Star Game.

Unfortunately, there are several realities working against Misiorowski's quest for the NL's starting job. The first is that the 2026 All-Star Game is taking place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Misiorowski's biggest competition for the NL's All-Star Game starter is Phillies' southpaw Cristopher Sánchez, who leads the league in innings pitched (110.0), has the second-most strikeouts (127), and third-best ERA (2.13). If it's a close race for the starting job, All-Star Game managers generally tend to offer a "hometown advantage," meaning if there's a conversation to be had about Sánchez starting, he could end up getting the role even if Miz is more deserving.

However, Sánchez, who should absolutely be handed the ball if Miz declines to pitch, may not even be the biggest threat to the Brewers' ace's chances of starting the Midsummer Classic. A far less deserving pitcher may end up leapfrogging both Miz and Sánchez for a rather poor reason.

Jacob Misiorowski should be the NL's All-Star Game starting pitcher regardless of Shohei Ohtani's role on the team

As manager of the team that won the league pennant the year prior, Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts will manage the All-Star Game for the NL in 2026. Roberts, despite the All-Star Game roster's being far from finalized, is already discussing pitching strategy for the Midsummer Classic. As reported by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Roberts is already considering the idea of having his two-way superstar, Shohei Ohtani, start the game for the NL.

Call me old-fashioned, but the starting pitcher for the All-Star Game should be the pitcher who most deserves the honor, not the one who needs to start because it's "impractical for him to warm up during the game while DH'ing," as Roberts said. As things stand on June 29, Ohtani, who is not a qualified starter due to his role being limited by the Dodgers, has a worse ERA, a worse WHIP, fewer strikeouts, and 20 fewer innings pitched than Misiorowski.

Ohtani is absolutely a once-in-a-generation talent, and MLB should take every opportunity they have to showcase his unbelievable skillset to the world and grow the game of baseball, but not when it comes at the expense of other players' accolades. Adding to the situation is the fact that the Dodgers have been extra careful with Ohtani this season, with the 4x MVP only making 13 starts thus far compared to Misiorowski's 16. Los Angeles has essentially run with a six-man rotation all season in order to limit Ohtani's innings, so for them to turn around and have their superstar pitch during the All-Star break, while he takes the spot of a more deserving pitcher, would be especially frustrating for Brewers fans.

With Roberts calling the shots, and MLB certainly wanting both Ohtani and Misiorowski to throw in the Midsummer Classic, the latter could be robbed of his All-Star Game start to accommodate the former's needs. Such a scenario would set bad precedents when it comes to both selecting All-Star Game starting pitchers and determining how much power the game's managers should have.

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